The Expats

A Novel

By: Chris Pavone

Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The international thriller that Patricia Cornwell says is “bristling with suspense” about an American abroad who finds herself in complex web of intrigue.

Can We Ever Escape Our Secrets?

Kate Moore is a working mother, struggling to make ends meet, to raise children, to keep a spark in her marriage... and to maintain an increasingly unbearable life-defining secret. So when her husband is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg, she jumps at the chance to leave behind her double-life, to start anew.

She begins to reinvent herself as an expat, finding her way in a language she doesn’t speak, doing the housewifely things she’s never before done - playdates and coffee mornings, daily cooking and never-ending laundry. Meanwhile, her husband works incessantly, at a job Kate has never understood, for a banking client she’s not allowed to know. He’s becoming distant and evasive; she’s getting lonely and bored.

Then another American couple arrives. Kate soon becomes suspicious that these people are not who they say they are, and she’s terrified that her own past is catching up to her. So Kate begins to dig, to peel back the layers of deception that surround her. She discovers fake offices and shell corporations and a hidden gun, a mysterious farmhouse and numbered accounts with bewildering sums of money, and finally unravels the mind-boggling long-play con that threatens her family, her marriage, and her life.

Stylish and sophisticated, fiercely intelligent and expertly crafted, The Expats proves Chris Pavone to be a writer of tremendous talent.

©2012 Chris Pavone (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A stunningly assured first novel.... An intricate, suspenseful plot that is only resolved in the final pages. The juxtaposition of marital deceptions and espionage is brilliantly employed.... A must for espionage fans.” ( Booklist)

“Brilliant, insanely clever, and delectably readable, this debut thriller breaks the espionage genre bounds with its American-as-apple-pie heroine... Pavone displays the best characteristics of the form and will earn a faithful and yearning readership.” ( Library Journal)

“Fans of John le Carre and Robert Ludlum will welcome [this] meticulously plotted, psychologically complex spy thriller.... The sheer amount of bombshell plot twists are nothing short of extraordinary, but it’s Pavone’s portrayal of Kate and her quest to find meaning in her charade of an existence that makes this book such a powerful read.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Good story

What made the experience of listening to The Expats the most enjoyable?

Intrigue and wondering if the main character was 'involved' in everything that was taking place around her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No........I listened to it over a few days time. Not a page-burner.

Any additional comments?

Good story, good plot, interesting ending.

Thoroughly Enjoyed It!

Where does The Expats rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among all the audiobooks I have listened to so far, I would put Expats in my top 10.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes it did. I found myself wondering what was going to happen next quite a bit.

Which character – as performed by Mozhan Marno – was your favorite?

Kate was my favorite character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a few times.

Too many red herrings

I think if this novel had been written in a more linear style, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't have a problem with flashbacks but this jumps around in time so much that it can be diffcult to follow, especially when you're listening to it. The author uses some French phrases and most of the time doesn't translate them. I don't think you lose a lot but why bother using the lines if they don't matter? The narrator did an excellent job.

unusual story, well-written

This book definitely does not follow predictable plot lines and is well-written and beautifully read. I would characterize this work as intelligent entertainment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The jumps in time, however, are frequently sudden and if you are not paying attention (or have fallen asleep!) you may be a bit confused about what is taking place.

Kept me finding excuses to keep listening!

Oh my goodness, this was a great spy story! There were so many twists and turns and I kept reconsidering who was good and who was bad in the story. The narration was quite good to keep all the characters believable. The plot.....ex-CIA, the FBI, a secretive husband, cyber theft, banking (sort of).....it had it all. I highly recommend this one!

This book was frustrating

I gave this book 3 stars because it was well written & the narrator was good too. I agree with other people's reviews that some sort of pause should be done by a narrator to distinguish between the present & the past. I have not read the Kindle or paperback versions of the book to know how it looks in print, but the editor of this production should have caught this early. The book requires patience because it does get tiring being inside the main character's head. It's a long read to the ending where almost all becomes clear. Layers upon layers of deceit are eventually revealed. However, I found the ending to be anticlimactic because it wasn't clear [to me] exactly what happened to the main characters. The ending felt abrupt. I wonder if a sequel is planned & there is more clarity there. I will not read it because I dont know if the author will produce another mini-enigma. I blame his publisher in part because editing was needed for the book prior to publication.

pretty good book

pretty good book, but I realized that I'm not a huge fan of political intrigue so not the book for me

You Will Need to Pay Attention

This book really keeps you interested from start to finish, but it features nearly non stop flash backs, jumping through time continually. In the book I assume the reader could tell this from page breaks, but in the audiobook there's little to clue you in. However, I could usually catch on to where we were in time within a few sentences, and it did really keep me engaged.

Also, the reader's voice is a bit disengaged. She does a great job at the voices, but the narration feels kind of dry.

New and welcome twist on the spy genre

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found the first one-third tedious and almost quit but am glad I stuck with it. Despite organizational problems it all comes together well in the end. Don't expect a female Bourne but rather a reflective perspective on life at the gray area of government-sanctioned intrigue and crime a la le Carre and you'll enjoy this many-layered story.

Say What?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

My friend and I listened to this book during a road trip. The author jumps back and forth in time without any notice to the listener. This makes it VERY hard to follow. My wife is currently listening to it and she is complaining about the same thing. Perhaps the print version is easier to follow, but his is very difficult.

What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Marno makes the best of the reading. She is skilled and performs wonderfully.

Any additional comments?

The main character is female. She is a former CIA assassin who travels to Europe to be with her husband. This in itself should appeal to women listeners, but the book is so hard to follow that this is not enough to make it worthwhile.